Contents tagged with TMA

By David Sabgir, MD

It was 11 years invested into medical training wasted. After doing my best for 11 years after college, I found myself totally ineffective at changing my patients’ behavior.

We’d had wonderful heart-to-heart talks. These conversations were real, full of great intention, and essentially worthless. As my patients came back for their six- and 12-month follow-ups, I realized I had not done my job. Their heart disease, which I knew to be 82 percent preventable, was not interrupted. It was a runaway locomotive. They were still sedentary and they hadn’t lost a pound. As a matter of fact, they were up 3 pounds. The weather had been too hot. The weather had been too cold. They knew they had to “get out.” This frustration didn’t repeat itself with one patient or a dozen patients, this was hundreds becoming thousands of patients. I was ineffective despite long, emotional conversations. One day, that was it. I refused to play this charade for what I hope to be a 30-plus-year career of trying to help others.

By Perdita Henry

On May 6, 2017 Douglas W. Curran, MD, of Athens was elected president-elect of the Texas Medical Association at their annual conference, TexMed. Curran, a former president of TAFP and the 1999 Texas Family Physician of the Year Award recipient, will become the 153rd president of the organization on May 19, 2018.

“I feel very humbled by this opportunity to serve the patients of Texas physicians as well as protect and preserve the integrity of our profession,” Curran said in a TMA press release. “The opportunity to serve as president-elect and ultimately president of this great organization will allow me to speak from the heart about the profession I love and the commitment to improve the health care of all Texans.”

TMA has a way to help you boost local vaccination rates: Be Wise — Immunize Local Impact Grant. TMA is accepting applications until March 1 for grants of up to $2,500 to support local vaccination events. TMA member-physician practices/clinics, county medical societies, TMA Alliance chapters, and medical student chapters can apply.

The funds can be used for shot clinics to vaccinate children, adolescents, and/or adults. Applicants should apply for a grant at least four months before their event, and grantees have up to 12 months to use the funds. TMA will accept applications again on July 1 and Nov. 1 for shot clinics in late 2017 and early 2018.